Anti-Bullying Week: 10 Reasons Why Love Always Wins

OK, so it’s Anti-Bullying Week this week, and we’re all about shaking off hate and celebrating love and positivity. Because, whatever form it comes in – making a cup of tea for an ill sibling, taking your dog for a walk, helping a friend through a hard time – “love really is all around,” (to quote one of our fave films which, spoiler alert, we’ll be coming back to later), and it always conquers hate! Here are 10 reasons why love always wins.

1. Because all our fave people say so

So we may be a bit in love with Lady Gaga. Sue us. Not only is she ridiculously talented, she’s an artist who likes to challenge convention and preach that love wins. Among the MANY other celebs promoting the message that love wins is Lin-Manuel Miranda (remember his “love is love is love” etc. speech after the Orlando shootings this year?), Barack Obama (COME BACK TO US) and Beyoncé, who released a special Pride version of her 7/11 vid featuring her usual dancing prowess but also rainbow-coloured clothes and props. Have a watch!

2. Pride

Speaking of Pride, it’s the perfect example of how love wins. Pride is all about acceptance, and celebrating love in whichever shape or form it comes. Does hate have a parade? Let alone a loud, colourful and joyful one which could deffo be categorized as the best and biggest party in town? Ummm, don’t think so.

3. You can’t escape the biology

Basically, it’s science. We like doing things that feel good, right? Well, hate doesn’t feel good. In fact, it can feel really, really bad. Love, however, has its VERY OWN feel-good hormone called Oxytocin that gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling and is released when you cuddle up or bond socially with someone.

4. HP says so

Harry Potter might be British, but there’s no denying that it has conquered the world. It’s been translated into 67 languages, and the seven books have sold more than 450 million copies. Don’t even get us STARTED on the films.

So what makes HP so successful? J.K. Rowling created an unparalleled magic world and the plot is intricate but seamless throughout. It’s about Hogwarts, Quidditch, the Dark Lord, house elves, quills, dangerous school competitions, a lack of reasonable school rules, suspicious teachers, whomping willows and even centaurs. But most of all it’s about three close friends, their relationships, and the golden rule – that no matter what evil they encounter, love WILL triumph over hate.

Can’t exactly argue against that, can you?

5. Love brings in record deals

Everyone loves a good love song. Whether it’s a soppy one featuring cliché lines like, “I just wanna hold you” and “it feels so right”, or a break-up song by Adele, most songs that really make it big time are all about love. It’s a worldwide selling point. When’s the last time you heard a song on the radio with the lyrics, “I just wanna punch you” or “I really hate you”? Yeah you get some aggressive lyrics here and there, but most popular songs throughout time centre around the theme of love.

Though obvs we love our single, sassy tunes too.

6. Chocolate

Cadburys, Lindor, Green & Blacks… is your stomach rumbling yet? Ours are… wish I hadn’t mentioned it now (*runs to the corner shop*). Basically chocolate is one of the most pleasurable things to eat. It just feels GREAT. And that’s because eating chocolate releases endorphins. The feeling you get when eating chocolate is often compared to the feeling you get when you’re in love – so you see, love wins by association too. Because WHO DOESN’T LIKE CHOCOLATE, AMIRIGHT? It’s all simple mathematics. Chocolate = good, love = chocolate THUS love = good. God, we’re smart.

7. The movies say so

Films almost always preach that love is the answer, and that “no man is an island” (hello ‘About A Boy’… what a film). We really just can’t get along without each other, and almost all our films and culture reflect that. And this isn’t even the official ‘Love, Actually’ reference.

8. It’s always cause for celebration

Think about it - we never celebrate hate, only love. We all celebrate International Kissing Day on July 6th, but does anyone celebrate International Betray Your Friend’s Most Embarrassing Secret To Their Crush Day? No. It would never work cos a) it’s not a very catchy name for a day and b) it’s just not cool, by any standards.

Also the best celebration ever, CHRISTMASSSS, is also all about love. It’s about being with the people we love, appreciating them, and watching ‘Love, Actually’. Which we do, every year. (Official reference.)

We’re still not over those turtlenecks.

9. And they call it Puppy Love

Ok, so we have not only the history of mankind as proof that love wins, we also have many animals. David Attenborough (who we, incidentally, love) has talked us all through it – there are signs that animals care and love each other too, in their own ways. For example, did you know that otters hold hands (well, flippers?) while they sleep so they don’t float away from each other during the night? IKR.

Dogs and cats are among the animals we like to keep as pets because it feels good to care for something that isn’t ourselves, and of course, it also feels good being loved back by a small, fluffy thing (cue tears).

10. It all comes back to love

When people are hateful, it’s easy to assume they’re just bad people. But that’s not necessarily the case. Sometimes people lash out because they’re not feeling enough love in their own life. Everyone wants to be cared for deep down, and it’s easier to care for someone if you have been well cared for yourself. It’s tough!

Love always wins though, because it’s what everything comes back to in the end. As Hugh Grant says in ‘Love, Actually’, “when the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge, they were all messages of love”. (Think we need to get ‘Love, Actually’ out of our system ASAP.)

But anyway, there you have it - love is the answer. And it always wins over hate. Stay tuned throughout Anti-Bullying Week this week, where we’re all about promoting the internet as a way to spread positive messages instead of hateful ones, and just in general using the POWER OF GOOD to end bullying online and IRL.